Academics
A CSW Education

Social Justice Learning

Teaching towards a more just world.

At CSW, we are deeply committed to cultivating engaged citizens with global consciousness and a sense of social responsibility. Students leave our program having developed empathy, social awareness, resourcefulness, resilience, and the skills needs to overcome cultural divides and build a better, more equitable world. 

The Social Justice Requirement

During their time at CSW, students must take at least 10 classes that reflect the diverse viewpoints, complexity, and richness of the world in which we live.

To satisfy the Social Justice GraduatioN Requirement, a course must examine:

  • Historical and contemporary issues from the perspectives of non-Western cultures and/or historically oppressed groups.
  • Structures of power and privilege — their history, causes, and effects.
  • Models of social change, with the goal of advancing human rights and equity. 
More than 80 courses, that span all departments, fulfill the Social Justice Requirement. A recent sampling of offerings includes:

List of 6 items.

  • Boarders: Immigration, Migration, and National Boundaries

    This course examines how borders shape our world. Whether these are internal or external, societal or national, we all encounter barriers, but we do not all experience them in the same way.  From the establishment of Europe to the discovery of the North American continent, from the Scramble for Africa to the Islamic State, and from the declarations of independence by former colonies, the development of borders has played a key role in geopolitical, religious, racial, and cultural matters. 

  • Cultural Studies in Dance

    In this class we will explore the relationship of “culture” and “dance” and the ways the study of one informs our understanding of the other. We will take a non-comprehensive survey of dance in varied geographic and cultural contexts ranging from East Asia through the Americas. Our readings, viewings, and discussions will examine culture and history have shaped movement qualities all over the world. As a complement to these larger scale considerations we will use movement explorations to reflect on our individual relationships to place, history and community.

  • Drawing: Otherness and Social Justice

    In this class, students explore drawing using text as primary imagery. Students learn about design and text-based drawing strategies to explore human rights while developing a body of drawings addressing their study. The course is designed to provide students with opportunities to explore fundamental human rights and varying Western/non-Western viewpoints and perspectives through the exploration of art as a vehicle to promote and encourage social change. The course explores the history of political art, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, blending both critique and debate learning opportunities with studio art practices. 

  • Ethics of Science

    In Ethics of Science, students will study, discuss, and analyze current ethical issues in science, such as stem cell research, human cloning, testing on human and animal subjects, genetic modification of agricultural crops and animals, military research, regulation of research, and ownership of intellectual property. Students will be expected to develop an understanding of the rationales behind multiple positions by reading background materials; discussing and debating issues in class; researching, writing, and presenting independent topics; watching relevant videos; and hearing speakers.

  • Examining Media as a Mirror: A Statistical and Visual Approach to Deconstructing False Narratives

    Who does the media say we are? What does it mean if we are seeing our reflections in a false media mirror? How can we analyze and describe the types of distortions that we are seeing? Students will use a statistical and visual art approach to explore the portrayal of various demographics in the media. Wewill examine metrics such as screen time, dialogue, and casting through statistical tools such as t-tests, chi-square tests, and linear regressions to reveal the underlying distortions in what we see. 

  • Witty Women Playwrights

    Witty Women Playwrights examines the contributions of women playwrights to theatre history and American history. We will explore such questions as: Is there a uniquely feminine, or feminist, voice? Do producers, audiences, and critics receive the creations of female playwrights differently than those of male playwrights? Should characters’ identities align with their playwright’s identit(y/ies)? How have women playwrights radicalized the theatrical form and advanced political movements? WIT will explore gender, sex, sexuality, the politics of power and race, along with intersectionality. 

Michael H. Feldman '67 Social Justice Day

Each spring CSW holds an annual school-wide event known as the Michael H. Feldman Social Justice Day. The full-day event explores various viewpoints on important legal and social issues of the day, creating opportunities for student discussion and debate, as well as guest speakers and presentations.

Students are pivotal in choosing the focus of the day, researching and preparing materials, and educating the CSW community about the chosen topic. Recent Social Justice Days have focused on themes ranging from labor practices and consumerism, to the issue of water privatization. 

Learn more about Social Justice Day
45 Georgian Road, Weston, MA 02493
Phone: (781) 642-8600
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.